Pacific Heights (1990)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Such a frustrating disappointment

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

It's a rare event when I give up on a movie before it is halfway through. Usually I will suffer through a fairly bad movie to see if any redeeming entertainment surfaces. I'd heard "Pacific Heights" was a good movie, but the premise was so absurd I turned it off after about 30 minutes. The notion that a landlord would hand over a signed copy of a lease to a tenant before having received the security deposit and first month's rent was ridiculous (which was not in fact depicted in the movie but required for all subsequent events) , but in principle I could suspend disbelief and accept that some inexperienced landlords might be such complete idiots. However, the idea that the San Francisco Police would side with the illegal "tenant" rather than with the "landlord," when the former had never paid any rent or security deposit--and changed the door locks--could only have been written by someone who has no concept of landlord-tenant relations in America. Not only would the SFPD have immediately evicted the interloper, they would have arrested and jailed him for trespassing on the landlord's property. The scene of the police telling the landlord he should get a lawyer was especially ludicrous; the only person that would have needed a lawyer was the pretend "tenant." I don't care how skillfully the direction was after that or how suspenseful the movie would becaoe; because it was clear from that moment on the movie would be a right-wing fantasy about the potential danger of "tenants' rights." The reality is that the justice system totally supports landlords against tenants who, for whatever reason, have not paid their rent. Don't waste your time on propaganda that implies otherwise.

One of the worst movies I have ever seen. I like the actors and I like the director but in this effort they all dropped the ball. This was a flop. Too many B.S. liberties taken with real laws in an attempt to create a "Story" this is a waste of time. Save yourself some time and do something else in the time you would have watched this garbage, I already did it for you and I want the time back. This movie stunk.

An unusual choice for Michael Keaton to follow up his first "Batman" movie with him going from hero and to outright villain.Plot In A Paragraph: Drake Goodman (Modine) and Patty Palmer (Griffith)an unmarried couple, purchase an expensive 19th-century house in the exclusive Pacific Heights neighbourhood. They rent one of the building's two first-floor apartments to the Watanabes, a kindly Japanese couple. Not long after, Carter Hayes (Keaton) visits to view the remaining vacant unit and immediately expresses a desire to move in. Hayes drives an expensive Porsche and carries large amounts of cash on him. He convinces Drake to waive the credit check in exchange for a list of personal references and an upfront payment of the first six months' rent, to be paid by wire transfer. Before any of that happens he moves in unannounced and refuses to leave.Melanie Griffith whilst looking great is awful acting wise, and Matthew Modine had me questioning how this man forged a career as an actor. Some of my main annoyances came from his character, and I had my concerns that he may end up being the real psycho, but his performance really was dire.It's Keaton as the villain of the piece, who shines and gives the movie it's best scenes. Tippi Hedren and Dan Hedaya have small roles and Beverley D'Angelo has an uncredited role as a former lover/business partner of Carter's. I'm not sure why she is uncredited though.

It's very unusual for a conflict between a house-owning couple and a strange tenant to provide the plot for a psychological thriller but in "Pacific Heights", that's exactly what happens. This set-up is initially intriguing but soon takes on a darker complexion as it gradually becomes apparent just how sinister and dangerous the newest occupant of the house really is. The tension then builds steadily as the conflict becomes increasingly intense and the stakes get higher.Drake Goodman (Matthew Modine) and his girlfriend Patty Palmer (Melanie Griffith) are an ambitious middle-class couple who decide to buy a Victorian house in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood of San Francisco. They both know that the property is really beyond their means, but after massaging some of the figures on their mortgage application, they soon become the proud owners of the impressive house which also needs some renovation work which they decide to undertake themselves. The financial commitment they've taken on is only sustainable if they let the two downstairs apartments and so arranging for this to be done becomes a priority.A very pleasant Japanese couple soon move into one of the apartments and among the applicants for the second one is a well-dressed, smooth-talking, charmer called Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton). Drake is so impressed by Hayes (who carries a large amount of cash with him and drives a Porsche) that he doesn't insist on him completing a credit application. Hayes promises that he'll pay six months rent in advance and that he'll arrange for this to be done by wire transfer. Before any money is actually paid, Hayes moves into the apartment and after a great deal of stalling, refuses to pay any rent.Things get progressively worse when Hayes moves a friend in and starts hammering and drilling loudly at all times of the day and night. The couple get anxious about what's being done inside the apartment and the Japanese couple move out because the disturbance they suffer through the nights is intolerable, as is the plague of cockroaches which suddenly infests their apartment. Drake stops Hayes' drilling by cutting off the electricity but this action gets him into trouble with the police and later, his efforts to get Hayes evicted also fail because the law always seems to be on the tenant's side.A series of further provocations continue to pile pressure on the couple whose relationship suffers as Drake starts to drink too much and Patty suffers a miscarriage. They feel totally powerless until some action that Patty takes gives her an opportunity to get rid of Hayes but what happens later isn't necessarily what she would've hoped for or expected.Michael Keaton is a tremendous villain and utterly convincing as the psychopathic scam artist who's an expert at acquiring properties by unorthodox means and at very favourable prices. Melanie Griffith also does really well as Patty who is far more rational and intelligent than her partner and who also provides some of the most enjoyable moments of the movie when she decides to turn the tables on Hayes. Matthew Modine also gives an energetic performance as the hot-headed, impulsive and not-very-bright Drake whose actions regularly do more harm than good."Pacific Heights" is entertaining, less predictable than many thrillers and definitely not "run of the mill". It's these qualities together with the performances of Keaton and Griffith that ultimately make this such an enjoyable movie to watch.